AAC launches today USF and UCF together again Mike Aresco

The first of July and the launching of a new conference begins today. The American Athletic Conference starts today and the big news is that the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida are together again. Yes they were together in C-USA but this time it is much different.

USF and UCF are the two most powerful schools in the new AAC and they should work together to use that power. They have the largest enrollments of any schools in the conference as well as the largest fan bases. Let’s not forget that together their television markets Tampa and Orlando make them media wise the most powerful two teams in the AAC.

It will be interesting to see how this new league fairs but no matter what USF and UCF are the Oklahoma and the Texas of the brand new AAC.

Here is what commissioner Mike Aresco had to say in a brief statement today:

As we proudly mark today as the official launch date of the American Athletic Conference, I am extremely pleased to welcome the University of Central Florida, the University of Houston, the University of Memphis and Southern Methodist University as members of our reinvented Conference. We are delighted to have these distinguished institutions join us. We also look forward to welcoming Tulane University, East Carolina University, and the University of Tulsa in 2014 and the United States Naval Academy in 2015.

As you know, we have made enormous progress during the past months in so many key areas, and we approach the future with energy and optimism as well as enormous confidence in our prospects. We have created a strong foundation and we will be an outstanding Conference in every respect. We will emphasize academic performance, good citizenship and sportsmanship, and we will provide our accomplished student-athletes with the highest level of competition.

AAC launches today USF and UCF together again Mike Aresco
by James Williams

Daytona International Speedway rewards those who know how to play together and it punishes those who seek to go it alone. The winner of Sunday’s 2015 edition of the “Great American Race,” will need a pa